Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in San Francisco and in Mexico City: $1,683 and $1,674 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,683

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Francisco and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Francisco and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,683 in San Francisco versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

San Francisco $1,683
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,673 in San Francisco versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

San Francisco $2,673
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,662 in San Francisco versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

San Francisco $3,662
Mexico City $3,537

Monthly costs are close between San Francisco and Mexico City; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Francisco 24% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 ₡4,345

$10.59 MX$197

-8.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 ₡27.7K

$52.0 MX$967

18.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 ₡4,878

$10.73 MX$200

1.12%

Cappuccino

$4.48 ₡2,015

$3.80 MX$70.6

17.89%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₡611

$1.61 MX$30.01

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.21 MX$22.55

46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 ₡1,441

$3.18 MX$59.1

0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ₡1,958

$5.44 MX$101

-20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,077

$1.72 MX$31.96

38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,386

$2.97 MX$55.2

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 ₡1,142

$1.93 MX$35.84

31.61%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,586

$2.77 MX$51.6

27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ₡4,898

$11.67 MX$217

-6.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,641

$9.48 MX$176

8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 ₡6,211

$15.37 MX$286

-10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 ₡2,344

$3.10 MX$57.8

68.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.96 MX$36.49

-16.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,159

$1.98 MX$36.88

142.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,775

$2.34 MX$43.46

68.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,745

$2.02 MX$37.66

92.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,621

$1.82 MX$33.95

97.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡500

$1.54 MX$28.74

-27.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,444

$1.31 MX$24.42

145.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,601

$5.35 MX$99.6

8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.70 ₡8,857

$16.19 MX$301

21.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,251

$1.96 MX$36.46

41.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,668

$4.35 MX$81.0

-14.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.30 MX$5.67

346.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 ₡29.4K

$19.49 MX$363

234.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 ₡769

$1.92 MX$35.68

-10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡800

$0.47 MX$8.80

278.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 ₡3,693

$5.41 MX$101

51.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡704

$1.48 MX$27.61

5.41%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$21.4K MX$397.7K

61.68%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$23.8K MX$442.1K

73.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$77.3 ₡34.8K

$62.0 MX$1,154

24.75%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$33.59 ₡15.1K

$28.47 MX$530

17.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.2K

$34.11 MX$635

70.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.6K

$58.4 MX$1,087

16.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,556

$6.59 MX$123

20.03%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$970 ₡436.2K

$434 MX$8,081

123.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ₡8.5M

$14.0K MX$261.2K

34.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$68.4 MX$1,272

5.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 ₡25.4K

$54.8 MX$1,020

3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 ₡29.4K

$111 MX$2,063

-41.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$116 MX$2,158

-52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 ₡364.0K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$634 ₡285.0K

$771 MX$14.3K

-17.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 ₡869.5K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-24.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 ₡568.0K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-11.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$890 ₡400.0K

$1,003 MX$18.7K

-11.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Francisco: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco

$634 37.6%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 21.6% $137

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco

$402 23.9%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 19.5% $79

Eating Out

San Francisco

$201 11.9%

Mexico City

$201 12% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco

$169 10.1%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 26.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco

$112 6.7%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 40.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco

$84 5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 14.6% $12

Getting Around

San Francisco

$81 4.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 69.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $809 in San Francisco and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 13% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Francisco vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:54 11:54 AM

Same time as San Francisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,923

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Francisco Mexico City 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Francisco
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Francisco vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in San Francisco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $809 in San Francisco versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $970 in San Francisco versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $62 in San Francisco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.